Primary electric battery



(No Model.)

J. I'. MOLAUGHLIN.

PRIMARY ELECTRIC BATTERY.

Z Patented Dem-.27,v 1887.1

N, PETERS, Pnmwlilhogmphnr, washington, D. C4

I. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. IueIIAUcHLIIv, or E HIEADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

PRI MARY ELEC'l'RlCV BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent 210,375,561, dated December 27,1887. Application filed August 10, 1887. Serial No. 246,603. (No model.)

`Electric Batteries; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enable others Skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a primary electric battery; and it has for its object to provide a battery simple in construction, easily prepared and maintained, of a sufficiently high electro-motive force, fairly constant, free from local action, leconomical in rst cost, and of materials Which are easily procured.;

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain details of construction, arrangements, and combinations of parts, which -will be more fullydescribed hereinafter, and the Specific points of noveltyin which will be designated in the appended claims. l

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of one cell of Iny improved battery, the top thereof being removed for the purpose of showing the interior arrangement of parts. Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of the same.

Referring to the drawings, in` which like numbers of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures, 1 designates a glass jar of the form and size usually employed for voltaie batteries, having the annular groove 2 extending around the top thereofin which is adapted to iit the corresponding ridge 3 on the under side of the cover 4.

Extending around the inner side of the jar 1, at a distance equal to about one-iifth of the height thereof from the bottom, is an inwardlyprojecting circular flange, 5, upon which rests a porous diaphragm or disk, 6.

Arranged centrally within the jar 1, and supported upon the diaphragm 6, is a porous eup, 7, in the center of which is placed the zinc electrode 8, having the. round extended upper end, 9, which passes up through a suitable opening in the cover 4, and forms the negative pole of the battery. Surrounding the porous cup 7 is a cylinder, 10, which may be either an ordinary porous cup perforated or a grating of lead.

Four carbon-collectors, 11 11, having their upper ends secured to a lead ring, 12, are arranged at diametrically-opposite points around the perforated cylinder 10, and about midway between the latter and the sides of the jar 1, and the lower ends of the said carbon-collectors rest upon and are supported by the porous diaphragm 6. In the upper extremities of each of the carboncollectors 11 11 is drilled or otherwise formed an aperture, the diameter of which is larger at the bottom than it is at the top, and the said aperture -is filled with molten lead, 13, which is reduced and screwthreaded at its upper end so as to pass through a suitable opening in the leaden ring 12, and to receive the clamping-nut 14, which is screwed down firmly upon the ring 12, thus making a firm and perfect electrical connection. Carbon-collectors are of such a length as to support the lead ring 12 a short distance below the cover 4, as shownl in Fig. 2.

A binding-post, 15, is screwed into an aperture, 16, formed in the leaden ring 12, and projects upwardly through a suitable opening in the cover 4, forming the positive pole of the battery.

The space between the perforated cylinder 10 and the sidesof thejar 1,around the carboncollectorsll 11,is iilled in with broken carbon, 17, as clearly shown in both figures of the drawings.

18 designates a vertical tube of a length slightly greater than the distancel from the diaphragm 6 to the cover 4, and has its lower extremity fitting in and passing through acircular aperture in the diaphragm 6, thereby affording a-means of communication with 'the chamber or bottom of the jar below Said diaphragm. The upper end of said tube extends `through a circular perforation in the lid or cover 4,A and is provided with a removable screw-threaded cap, 19, the object of which will be hereinafter explained.

At a suitable point in the side of the cell, near the bottom of the jar l, is inserted a drawing-off faucet, 20, for the obvious purpose of allowing the egress of the excitant or any refuse or sediment that might be precipitated from the chemical action of the elements The IOO

The battery is set up for operation as follows: The broken or pulverized carbon 17 is first washed before it is placed in the cell with biohromate of potash or chromic acid, and is then ready for deposit in the cell above the diaphragm 6 and around the perforated cylinder 10. 'Ihe cylinder 10, the porous cup 7, the diaphragm 6, and the carbon and zinc electrodes are then placed in position shown in Fig. 2, the tube 18 is inserted, as shown, and the pulver-ized carbon, previously washed, as stated, is introduced around the carbon-collectors 11 11 up to near t-he top of the jar. Inside the porous cup is placed either dilute sulphuric acid or sal-ammoniac and water. Then an excitant-fluid corresponding to that with which the pnlverized carbon has been washed is poured in through the tube 18 into the compartment below the diaphragm 6 until the fluid rises up near or against the said diaphragm. The action of the battery is then as follows: The pulverized carbon, having been first washed with the chemical solution, is irnbued thereby with an affinity for the excitant. The contactofsnch exciting-fluidwillpermeate and saturate the diaphragm G, which will cominunicate the moisture to the composition 17, which latter (having an aiiinity for said moisture) will be in a short while thoroughly impregnated, and will thereby conduct the said moisture through the apertures in the wall of the cylinder 10 down into the space between the said cylinder 10 and the porous cup 7,until such space has becomcfilled up by the m oisture to a height equal to the height of the carbon 17. rlhen the subsequentaction will be identical to that of a Bunsen cell. i

|Thus it will be seen that the pulverized carbon,previously saturated with the excitant, reduces the internal resistance of the cell, and that the gradual and constant supply of the excitant to the pnlverized carbon 17 is economical, regular, and equally distributed. Furthermore, by means of the tube 18 the battery can be replenished Without removing the cover 4t or disturbing the action of the elements.

From careful experiments, I have found the electro-motive force to be more constant and available than any other form of voltaic cell employed, and also that its efficiency is greater in proportion to the consumption of its elements than any other heretofore used.

I desire it to be understood that the method of chemically treating the elements of my cell and the composition of the excitant will not be described or claimed herein, as the same will form the subject-matter of a future application; but

Vhat I cla-im is- 1. A volt-aio cell having carbon and zinc electrodes separated from the exciting-fluid by a horizontal porous diaphragm, as specified.

2. A voltaic cell having a bottom compartment containing the excitant-fluid separated from the upper electrodes by an intermediate porous diaphragm. 4

3. In a voltaic cell, the combination, with the bottom compartment containing the excitant, of the diaphragm 6, the pulverized carbon, and the carbon and Zinc electrodes, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the carbon-collectors, of the leaden supporting-ring 12, the pulverized carbon 17, the diaphragm 6, the compartment below said diaphragm containing the excitant, the porous cylinder 10, the porous cup 7, and the zinc electrode 8, as specified.

5. The combi nation, with the cell having the diaphragm 6, of the tube 18, as specified.

6. The combination, with the cell 1, having the diaphragm 6, of the tube 18, projecting through said diaphragm and provided with an upwardly-protruding mouth, substantially as specified.

7. The combination, with the cell 1, having the diaphragm 6 and the removable cover 4, of the tube 18, substantially as specified.

8. The combination, with the cell 1, having the diaphragm 6 and the removable cover 4, of the tube 18, provided with the removable cap 19, substantially as specified.

9. In avoltaic cell, thevcombination, with a pulverized-carbon element saturated with the exciting-fluid and placed in the cell surrounding and in proximity to the porous cup, of a porous diaphragm separating the pulverized carbon from the chamber containing an excitant, a duct for introducing said excitant into its chamber from the exterior, a porous cup containing a zinc electrode, carbon electrodes in contact with the pulverized carbon, and a suitable exciting-fluid around the zinc electrode.

10. In avoltaic cell having carbon and zinc electrodes and suitable exciting-fluids therefor, a mass of pnlverized carbon in contact with the carbon electrodes and saturated with one of the excitants before introduction into the cell, in combination with a fluid excitant like in chemical composition to that with which the carbon was washed, and a porous diaphragm separating t-he fluid excitant from the pulverized carbon.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J. F. MCLAUGHLIN.

Witnesses:

JULIUs SOLGER, F. R. HARDING.

IOO 

